Exclusive: Man threatens to stab ‘ungodly’ Brighton Pride attendees in horrific anti-gay tirade
The man abused Pride attendees (benjaminbutterworth/twitter and Tristan Fewings/Getty)
A man has been arrested after unleashing a horrifying stream of abuse at people coming back from Brighton and Hove Pride.
After the parade – which was attended by more than 300,000 people – and the website-crashing Britney Spears performance which closed out the Pride festivities, attendees made their way home.
Thousands were crushed and stranded outside the train station in Brighton as police temporarily eliminated access and suspended the service.
Around 57,000 people attended Britney’s performance (ettolrahcb88/twitter)
And for some of those who avoided the chaos and got a train, there was a horrifying reminder of the anti-gay hate which exists outside of the Pride bubble.
In a video of the incident, filmed by journalist Benjamin Butterworth, the abuser can be seen asking: “Why are you so angry ’cause I’m calling you a faggot?”
Passengers can be heard telling him: “You’re an embarrassment” and recommending that he “suck s**t and die.”
On train back from @PrideBrighton, a man threatened to pull a knife on me and others and stab us for being gay. He called us peadophiles and dirty and shouted gay people need to all be killed. The video is a fraction of what he said, as was too scared & shaken to film. pic.twitter.com/j60xfcPua4
— Benjamin Butterworth (@benjaminbutter) August 5, 2018
Butterworth said he was “almost crying” during the torrent of abuse and threats.
“The man got on the train at a stop between Brighton and London – I don’t know which because, like most people, I was fast asleep. The train carriage was almost totally silent when he got on,” Butterworth recalled.
“Then he started shouting homophobic abuse – he yelled that gay people are paedophiles, ungodly, freaks, failures to their parents.
Butterworth enjoying himself at Brighton Pride (Benjamin Butterworth)
“Then he said he was going to pull a blade out and stab every gay person on the train.”
Butterworth continued: “He said gay people deserve to be killed and that he would stab us. And was constantly shouting ‘batty man’ and ‘puff’ in the faces of people.
“The whole thing was unprovoked.
The man was arrested at Clapham Junction (benjaminbutterworth/twitter)
“People were scared because he kept saying he was going to pull a knife out and stab us. After a bit more time as his ranting went on some people started shouting at him.
“He said he would stab them and claim self-defence.
“He was eventually taken off the train at Clapham Junction in handcuffs.”
Attendees celebrate with Brighton Pavillion in the background (Tristan Fewings/Getty)
A British Transport Police spokesperson told PinkNews: “We were called at 5:53am on Sunday, August 5, following reports of homophobic abuse towards passengers on a train bound for London Victoria station.
“Officers met the train and a 28-year-old man was arrested for a public order offence and is currently in custody.
“Officers are making enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”
Butterworth said the incident hadn’t ruined his Pride (Tristan Fewings/Getty)
Butterworth said the incident could not erase all his good memories of Brighton Pride, but added that it had affected him.
“I had a great time at Brighton Pride and it’s pretty hard to ruin a night spent watching Britney,” he said.
“But I was definitely scared, almost crying. People say: ‘Why do you still need Pride?’
“When you can’t even get the train home from celebrating Pride without being told you deserve to be killed for being gay, there’s a problem.”
